Visiting Pyongyang, North Korea? Climb Aboard An Ultralight Plane And See The City From The Air

With tension in North Korea dying down, the government has allowed tourism within its capital of Pyongyang, a fully functioning city home to buildings like the Ryugyong Hotel and the famed Kil Il Sung Square.

With this rise in tourism, more demand is calling for other activities aside from colorful cultural performances and nuanced political and social museums. One of the newest activities is going on an ultralight plane and seeing Pyongyang from high up in the air.

The project is supported by North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, who is said to be giving North Koreans more modern and 'cultured' ways of spending leisure time. This comes hand in hand with foreign tourists and tourism companies looking for ways to bring a unique North Korean travel experience to visitors.

The tours, helped organized and established by Kim Jong Un, began in late July, according to The Jakarta Post, and are operated by the Mirim flying club out of a fancy new facility on an old airfield adjacent to another of Kim's signature modernization projects: a sprawling equestrian club and horse racetrack.

Officials say more than 4,000 North Koreans have gone up in the ultralight fleet since, with prices for this attraction cheaper for natives. However "hundreds of foreigners" from 12 countries were also said to have taken part already in the craze.

The flights aren't cheap, according to Yahoo! Tech - a 25-minute ultralight ride from the airstrip on the outskirts of the city to Kim Il Sung Square and the Juche Tower, which had previously been the best place to get an urban panorama, goes for around $150. Shorter flights are offered at cheaper prices, starting from about $65, but those only fly around the immediate vicinity of the flight club.

Officials also allege that the ultralight aircraft used for the flights were made in North Korea.